The first three wins in Group H of the Champions League have helped Barcelona firmly hold the top spot. However, the most recent defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk means that coach Xavi's team cannot afford to stumble when they welcome Porto to the Nou Camp on the evening of November 28.
Barcelona endured a difficult 90 minutes against Porto (Photo: AP).
Shakhtar Donetsk won 1-0 against Royal Antwerp in the earlier match to move level with Barcelona and Porto on nine points, making the race for the top two spots in this group extremely attractive.
Barcelona took the initiative to press the field right after the opening whistle, Porto played a sharp counter-attack and opened the score in the 20th minute. Taremi's shot was blocked by Kounde, Galena shot the ball right at Pena's position but veteran center-back Pepe was there at the right time to easily put the ball into Barcelona's net.
However, the joy of the visiting team Porto only lasted two minutes. Full-back Cancelo fired a beautiful shot into the far corner, defeating goalkeeper Costa to equalize 1-1 for the home team Barcelona.
Barcelona won a ticket to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 (Photo: AP).
The second half continued to be full of tension. In the 57th minute, Cancelo assisted Joao Felix to score after a lightning-fast finish to raise the score to 2-1 for Barcelona. In this situation, defender Joao Mario made a positional error.
Barcelona were pressured by their opponents in the last 30 minutes of the match, when Porto pushed their squad forward in search of an equalizer. However, the away team's strikers were too unlucky in the final finishing situations.
After 90 tense minutes, Barcelona secured a 2-1 victory and 3 points at the Nou Camp. Coach Xavi Hernandez's team booked their place in the Champions League round of 16 and their goal in the final round is to win the top spot in the group.
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